Philly cheesesteaks without leaving Wisconsin?

Apparently it's possible, thanks to Ken & Betty's in Ft. Atkinson (or "Fort", as the locals call it), where I stopped for lunch on my way to meet The Contingent at Fred's in Burlington.

It's not a very big place but there are a few outside tables as well as al fresco dining options along the Rock River. And once inside it's pretty obvious where the owners' loyalties lie!

The sandwiches are made with Amoroso bread and Herr's chips (very light and crisp) help ramp up the authenticity factor.

I was expecting a firmer feel and bite to the bread and was surprised how soft it was. I like cheese but am glad the sandwich wasn't overflowing with it; there was enough to hold the meat together but no more. Very good!

There's a map on the wall where Pennsylvanians who stop for a visit can mark their home turf with a pin. Ken & Betty's would be a good place for visiting fans to stop this October when the Phillies are here to lose the NLCS to the Brewers!

Ken & Betty's also sells pork roll sandwiches for $4.50, with or without egg, and according to the young man behind the counter it's "Trenton" pork roll. I'm definitely going to keep that in mind for a future visit!

One would think cheesesteaks would be de rigeur in Wisconsin,but that would be wrong.What Ken and Betty are doing here is something pretty cool.At years end,when Philly and Green Bay are battling for the NFC championship (and it could well happen I believe) this will be a significant thing.At that time we will apparently see what the deal is between charcoaled brats and those gorgeous cheesesteaks.I figure i win either way.

joerogo You stopped there on the way to an EatFest? I'm very proud of you

It wasn't exactly an "EatFest"; he only had a couple of quarter pound burgers, and he barely touched the fried cheese curds and spiral cut potato chips. Plus, it is almost a full 45 minutes from Ft. Atkinson to Burlington. You didn't expect him to go all that way without sustenance, did you?

Plus I was saving room for a possible stop at a place called "Holi Cannoli" that I spotted on US-12 west of Elkhorn. "Coal-fired pizza" was posted on the marquee and it caught my eye; I wound up not stopping but I'm keeping it in mind as a possible future investigation.

Billfish, if the Brewers and Phillies do meet in the playoffs (and as of today that looks like a real possibility) I would hope that one of the local TV stations or newspapers would do a story about Ken & Betty's. Perhaps there should be a friendly wager between them and a local sausage shop.

Thanks, Don. No, I was the only one but I arrived just a few minutes after the opening hour of 11 and was out of there by about 11:30. That did surprise me a little bit but maybe they got busier later in the day.

I was in Ft. Atkinson over the weekend so I made it a point to stop in and try the pork roll...but it's no longer on the menu. However, that made it possible to try the "South Philly" version of their cheesesteak, which replaces the white cheese with Whiz.

It was OK but I'm just not a fan of Cheez Whiz, so in the future I'll stick with white American.

I thought provolone was the default white cheese, too, but K & B uses provolone on its pizza steak, Whiz on the "South Philly", and white American on all the other steaks. Someone from Philadelphia will have to weigh in on this.